1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tracking system. More particularly, the method and system of tracking hotel moveable assets, including hotel linen products, such as sheets, towels, and bathrobes, efficiently in order to enhance the guest experience and to simplify the inventory management process in the hotel environment.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the United States, there are over 10,000 hotels of various sizes. One of the largest expenses of room occupancy is operating supplies. Major hotel brands are operating without knowing what the true cost of these supplies are. Some hotels are utilizing on-site laundry facilities, while other are outsourcing. Both have limited control of their linen and other supplies. Linen inventories of many properties are shrinking due to laundry damage, theft by guests, and staff and not to mention normal wear and tear. In today's competitive businesses, luxury hotels and resorts depend upon room presentation to raise the guest expectation and gain the competitive advantage.
Hotel owners and operators are aggressively searching for the means to positively impact the bottom line while saving resources and streamlining productivity. There is a growing desire for a linen tracking system that automatically tracks soiled and clean linen items continuously through the linen life cycle. It is desirable to lower the quantity of buffer linen stock (par levels) at hotels while also achieving predetermined service quality standards.
The disadvantages of existing linen management techniques are numerous, including: the inability to count soiled linen, in-house laundry problems, linen sent to outside laundry services are not returned, possibility of pilferages and losses, and the uncertainty in projecting short and long term linen stock levels and finally linen shortage causing customer dissatisfaction.
Uncertainty in arriving stocks levels result in high buffering costs. With such uncertainty, it is difficult to anticipate and plan for optimal linen operations. Many hotels have had to purchase additional stocks of linen to anticipate these daily shortages in an attempt to address this uncertainty. Currently, it is estimated that more than 4 par levels of linen stocks is kept (3 par stock is optimal), increasing the yearly capital expenditure spent on linen.
Resource waste may occur by attempting to resolve linen discrepancies. Such resolution requires significant effect from housekeeping and laundry personnel. Therefore, attention is often diverted from the primary purpose of providing both a high quality linen presentation and offering superior service that high pay hotel guest expect. Opportunity costs include the labor and the often expedited transportation costs that are incurred to rectify the daily discrepancies in linen operations.
In other words, the existing linen management has the following drawbacks.
(1) No knowledge of the life cycle of their linen.
(2) No way to monitor the cost of laundry operations and the effect on the environment.
(3) No way to effectively track discarded and unaccountable items.
(4) No way to insure consistent quality products.
(5) No effective way to track linen as it is processed through the laundry system.